Great descriptions really make a story come to life! Great descriptions use precise details, figurative language, and/or interesting vocabulary to really enhance a reader's experience with the text. For example, Sandra Cisneros, the author of "Eleven," writes a great description of how Rachel feels about being eleven years old. She writes, "Only today I wish I didn't have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin Band-Aid box." She feels that eleven years are not enough experience to handle the terrible experience she has with her teacher, Mrs. Price, on her birthday. She feels weak and insignificant. What a brilliant way to say that with figurative language!

This Week's Prompt:

Look through your independent reading for a great description of a setting, a character, or an action. Provide a short explanation of where the description occurred in your story. Quote the text accurately, as I did above for "Eleven." Then tell why you admire the description so much.

I am reading, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. My description describes what the dishes look like after Miranda's mom has stacked them in the sink. This is the description, "I stood there and watched as the greasy saucepan overflowed onto the plates underneath. The oily water reflected the light and made the whole thing look like a sparkly fountain." I liked this description because of the simile that Rebecca Stead used. Also, she wrote it, so that you can picture exactly what she's talking about.

Sincerely,
Julia

Reply

Ms. Kimball

10/28/2014 03:21:07 pm

Dear Julia,

Good choice of a description! My sink sometimes looks like an overflowing fountain of dishes. That's usually a bad thing. The author captured that familiar image well.

Great book, by the way!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sage W.

10/30/2014 06:52:12 am

Dear Julia,

I really liked the description you chose.I really liked how the author said that it looked like a sparkly fountain,because even though that's not what the dishes really are it helps form a picture in my mind.

Reply

Mikey

10/31/2014 12:27:29 am

Dear Julia,
I liked the description that you chose! I was wondering if there was a reason that you chose that one? Great job!
Sincerely,
Mikey

Reply

Forrest

11/2/2014 03:04:56 am

Dear Julia,

That description was amazing! That really explains and describes a lot in just one sentence. You picked a great quote.

Your friend,

Forrest

Reply

Talia

10/27/2014 10:34:52 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I'm reading Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin. My description describes what the main character's toy truck looked like. It says "It was too big and too small at the same time." I like that because it shows along with other reasons that the main character hates the truck.
From,
Talia

Reply

Rheona

10/27/2014 01:58:55 pm

Hi talia,
I like that description too! I like it because she is showing that there was nothing that she really liked about the truck and did not know how to describe it.
rheona

Reply

Ms. Kimball

10/28/2014 03:24:52 pm

Dear Talia,

How can a truck be both too big and too small at the same time? I wonder what the author really means by that description that causes the main character to hate the truck.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Talia

11/1/2014 10:43:42 am

Ms.Kimball,
In the book, it gives different reasons why the main character didn't like the truck,too. When I wrote this I had JUST read that description, so when I read farther into the book I figured out that the main character had been a little mad when he said that so he hadn't really been thinking about what he was saying when he said that. The truck may not have been too small and too big at the same time. He may have just been complaining.
From,
Talia

Ms. Kimball

11/2/2014 07:03:25 am

Dear Talia,

Thank you for explaining. I know I've felt that way about toys before. They are too big for one use, but too small for another. Like GI Joes. They were always too big to fit into my K'Nex contraptions, but too small to go on dates with my Barbies ;-)

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Kaela

11/1/2014 05:24:43 am

Dear talia
I agree, I like that deskription to. It's a cool way to think about it

Reply

Sage P

11/1/2014 03:40:29 pm

Dear Talia,
I really like your response because you did why you liked it. I also think you picked a really good description
From,
Sage Pollack

Reply

Ms. Kimball

10/27/2014 01:23:26 pm

Dear Julia,

Good choice of a description! My sink sometimes looks like an overflowing fountain of dishes. That's usually a bad thing. The author captured that familiar image well.

Great book, by the way!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Rheona

10/27/2014 01:55:54 pm

Hi class,
I am re-reading the book Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.
A part where there is great description is when Sal is "taken" from her home to go to Euclid, Ohio. It says:"My father plucked me up like a weed and took me and all our belongings..." I like this description because it describes how helpless she was to the situation.

sincerely,
RHEONA

Reply

Sofia

10/28/2014 06:19:57 am

Rheona,
I really like that description, too! It also made me think he did it quickly.

Sofia

Reply

Ms. Kimball

10/28/2014 03:29:42 pm

Dear Rheona,

Great choice of a description. I agree that the description shows Sal's helplessness. It may also show how Sal's dad forced her to move against her will. Hopefully he doesn't actually treat her like a weed!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Danny

11/1/2014 11:10:18 am

Dear Rheona
Walk Two moons is a great book. do you think that sal likes it at Ohio

Reply

Sofia

10/28/2014 06:13:41 am

Class.

I am reading "Everything for a dog" by Ann M. Martin. This is a description I found while bone was running away the third time.
"I sat down for a rest and noticed that a little town had grown up in the valley between this mountain and another one not far away. Many of the streets ran from mountain to mountain. I could see the roofs of mountains dotting those streets." I like this description because it gives the feeling of the area without saying cozy, autumn, and it also used clever similes.

Reply

Julia

10/28/2014 10:37:25 am

Dear Sofia,

I read that book and really enjoyed it. It is full of great descriptions! Nice job.

Sincerely,
Julia

Reply

Olivia D.

10/29/2014 08:48:52 am

Dear Sofia,

I loved that description! The words the author chose to incorporate really fit in.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Ms. Kimball

10/28/2014 03:36:11 pm

Dear Sofia,

Cool description. I like how the author wrote that the town had, "grown up in the valley," as though it sprouted like a patch of flowers. I wonder what the author means by, "roofs of mountains dotting those streets." I can't quite picture a mountain "dotting" a street. Mountains are awfully BIG!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sam

10/28/2014 08:48:38 am

Dear class,
I am reading Divergent. I am soon to be finished with this book. My description describes Tris walking in a tunnel that she hasn't walked though in a very long time, on page 261. This is how she describes it. "I have not walked this tunnel since the day of the choosing ceremony. I remember how I walked in, my footsteps unsteady, searching for the light. I walk in surefooted now. I don't need light anymore."
The book has very detailed writing and I am enjoying it very much, can't wait to read more.

Sincerely
Sam

Reply

Ms. Kimball

10/28/2014 03:42:57 pm

Dear Sam,

Interesting description. I like how the author showed a big character change in such few words. Also, she focused on the way Tris walked, which helps readers understand a character's feelings in an unique way. Tris sounds very confident now.

i can't wait to hear when you finish!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Olivia D.

10/29/2014 08:45:49 am

Dear Mrs. Kimball,

I am currently reading the book Cherub 3#. The sentence I chose is
"The mat of white fur, with plumes of hot breath steaming out of its nostrils." This was them referring to a polar bear. I really liked how they used show not tell in this description. You could really imagine what the creature looks like.This book has many amazing details throughout this hole story but this is the one that really stood out to me the most..

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Reply

Ms. Kimball

11/2/2014 07:05:31 am

Dear Olivia,

Wow, what a description! The polar bear actually seems warm based on that description. Maybe that's what the author wanted to get across, that even though polar bears are in the frigid cold, they are warm and full of life.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Mikey

10/29/2014 11:10:43 am

Dear Class,
The book I am reading is called I Funny by James Patterson. He used lots of sayings like "Life is like a sky full of stars. You just have to learn how to look at each one." and "Life isn't about waiting for a storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain." I loved these sayings and the way he used them in the story. He was referring to the main character Jamie and how bad his life was. he was having someone say these things to him to comfort him.
Sincerely,
Mikey

Reply

Sam

11/1/2014 10:11:41 am

Dear Mikey,
James Patterson sounds like a very interesting author. His sayings sound very inspiring, do they inspire you? Did the sayings ever comfort you? I would like to know, sound like a fun book.

Sincerely
Sam

Reply

Ms. KImball

11/2/2014 07:07:20 am

Dear Mikey,

I really love those sayings, too, especially the one about dancing in the rain. I could use that advice in my own life. Phrasing advice that way is a great way to help people remember it and see the deeper meaning. Thanks for sharing!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Layla

10/29/2014 12:08:33 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I am reading Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. A description the author wrote was, "My heart felt as if it'd been put in an icebox."
I think that description is really cool because it compares an icebox to someone's feelings, (or in this case a character's heart.)
From, Layla

Reply

Ms. Kimball

11/2/2014 07:11:35 am

Dear Layla,

Yes, it is a "cool" description (haha! I love puns.) Anyway, I can imagine how much it emotionally hurts to have my heart put in an icebox. What happened to make the narrator feel that way?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Layla

10/29/2014 12:10:42 pm

Dear Olivia D.,
That is a really interesting description!
From, Layla

Reply

Marc

10/30/2014 12:29:13 am

Dear class,
In my book the author veronica Roth. In this book the amazing metaphor was "Caleb tried to match me, starting with his feet and moving up with his body."
I really like this metaphor because he wasn't actually going step by step but you can still picture it.

From,
Marc

Reply

Alec

11/1/2014 09:30:56 am

Dear Marc,
I could feel the tension in that description. Nice job! That was a very good description.

From,
Alec

Reply

Marc

11/2/2014 09:02:55 am

Dear Alec,
Thank you for the nice compliment, you had a great one too!

From,
Marc

Ms. Kimball

11/2/2014 07:14:50 am

Dear Marc,

Interesting description. It's not a metaphor since the author isn't comparing Caleb to something unlike him, but Caleb is trying to imitate the narrator in a very precise way. Why was Caleb doing this?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sage W.

10/30/2014 07:02:20 am

Dear Class,
I'm re-reading Liar And Spy by Rebecca Stead.The description I chose was the one of the room in the basement"It's a tiny little room,almost a closet,with dingy walls,a concrete floor,and one light bulb dangling from the ceiling."I like this description because it really makes me feel like I'm in the room.

Reply

Ms. Kimball

11/2/2014 07:17:28 am

Dear Sage,

Good setting description. I love the word "dingy". The room sounds pretty dismal and uninviting. I wonder what goes on in a room like that. Usually people use those types of rooms for storage.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sage P

10/30/2014 12:08:47 pm

I am reading the book The Name Of This Book Is secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. The description in my book is "The truth is, up until the time this story begins, none of the disasters she predicted had befallen her." This description is very detailed. It shows that nothing she predicted went right. This point in the story they are introducing the character Cass. Cass has so many gadgets in her backpack for things that might go wrong but anything she predicts doesn't come true.
From,
Sage Pollack

Reply

Forrest

10/31/2014 09:04:22 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,

The quote I chose is from the book Where the Red Fern Grows. "At first it was easy. My ax was sharp and the chips flew. Two hours later things where different. My arms felt like two dead grapevines, and my back felt like someone had pulled a plug out of one end of it and drained all the sap out." This was from a part in the story when Billy was chopping down a huge tree all by himself. I love this quote because it really expresses how tired his body was. It was a huge tree and took all day to chop down. I think it's cool because he uses the word sap to describe how his back felt and there was probably sap draining out of the tree from being chopped down.

your student,

Forrest

Reply

Amy

11/2/2014 01:12:59 am

Dear Forrest,
Great description I like how you used words from the text. I also liked how you put the sentences in quotes!

Sincerely,
Amy

Reply

Ms. Kimball

11/2/2014 07:36:12 am

Dear Forrest,

I totally agree with you, great quote! Excellent job breaking down the meaning of the quote, too. Billy must have been working extremely hard to feel so tired and drained. I remember feeling that way when I had to move this summer. The author really captures the feeling of total exhaustion in a very creative way! Good job appreciating it.

The book I chose was Alex Rider Russian Roulette story of an assassin by Anthony Horowitz. The description I chose was the description was about the village when Yassen was a kid. This is how it goes. "A village of about eight houses surrounded by farmland with a church, a shop, a police station,a bathhouse, and A river." I like this description because it kind of tells you how poor the village is and how poor the people must be.

From the broken foot friend Arim

Reply

Alec

11/1/2014 09:27:52 am

My book is, The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. I have lots of good descriptions in this book. When I saw them, I thought, how does the author get so many great descriptions?

The quote in my story that is cool was this, "The paths were lined with glowing pearls like Christmas lights." When I imagined that picture, it seemed very cool. Ohhh.... The glowing pearls sound pretty amazing.

From,
Alec

Reply

Nathan

11/2/2014 11:31:58 pm

Alec,
I think The Last Olympian had good descriptions but when I was in the last book, my attention went away from the series's. I didn't really like The Last Olympian. Re you liking it right now?

Reply

Yubin

11/1/2014 10:00:35 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
The quote I chose is from the book called, "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile" from B. Waber. "Lyle wanted desperately to win Lorreta over. He tried flashing his sweetest, most toothsome smile at her to show how really friendly he was. But this only frightened the distrustful animal even more." I love this quote because it describes how the crocodile, Lyle, tried to be a friend of Mr. Grumps' cat, "Loretta". But he failed, because I think it was teeny-tiny-weeny-weeny bit like an evil smile.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Reply

Danny

11/1/2014 11:46:43 am

Dear class,
I am quoting from the book The mysterious Benedict society I am quoting it because there is a lot of description, it's a fun book and there is a lot of simile's. The quote is "It's a concrete e house with a brown roof, windows on the front and side's of the house." This is when Raynie is discribing the house

Reply

Amy

11/2/2014 01:15:37 am

Dear Class,
I'm reading Middle School Get Me Out of Here!
In this book I will be describing the main characters new home with his grandma. In the book he describes the home “squishy, and everything is everywhere. This is a small house for one. It has a couch surrounded by tons and tons of things. It also has a kitchen which is surrounded by picture frames.”
I chose to describe this the house because, it is important to the main character.
Sincerely,
Amy

Reply

Kaela

11/3/2014 10:13:57 am

Dear ms.Kimball
I am going to talk about a story called Little Leap Forward by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow. Leap Forward is holding a fish from the pond. "I stroked its shining body with the side of my thumb; there were little spots and stripes of gold on its skin, and it's fins were transparent like glass in the sunlight."
Why I a house it was because it was so beautiful and peaceful, and it was just a description of a fish
Sincerely Kaela

Reply

Nathan

11/4/2014 10:56:49 am

Dear Class,

I am reading Space Case, by Stuart Gibbs. The description I have chosen is of an action that takes place on earth’s moon. Dashiell (the narrator) speaks about a boy called Roddy who spends most of his time playing on video games. He exercises little that is why the narrator says this: “Dad said there was a decent chance that when Roddy eventually got back to earth, the increased gravity would snap his legs like toothpicks.” I admire this description so much, because the words play in your mind and you can picture the legs snapping so easily. The use of the word “toothpicks” makes me think of something fragile and also toothpicks are long and thin like his legs.

Sincerely, Nathan :)

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Student Workfor theClass of 2015

Relive the greatness of this unforgettable group of students, my fabulous fifth grade class from Underwood Elementary School in Newton.